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The course below was set up like a labyrinth with one entrance, one exit, and several chambers and corridors in between, taking up nearly the entire first floor. From their vantage point, they could watch contestants work their way through The Gauntlet and map out the entire maze, so maybe they could learn from others’ mistakes, and therefore running The Gauntlet wouldn’t be as treacherous. But that seemed too easy, and he was instantly suspicious.
Others seemed to have come up with the same idea, observing from similar half-moon platforms evenly spaced around the massive ten-level arena, hoping to plot their strategies for when/if they attempted The Gauntlet. Turbo lifts traveled between each platform, providing transport from one level to the next.
Vin pointed toward The Gauntlet. “Look. Someone’s already entered.”
Aidan’s gaze swung down, and he spotted a man heading into a chamber at the center of the maze. The chamber contained four solitary stone pillars that weren’t quite lined up straight, but slightly offset. Curiously, each pillar was alternately blackened on one side.
As the man proceeded into the chamber, a set of double doors pivoted closed behind him, locking him in. Four large vents in the walls opened, two on each side. In the next instant, four deadly streams of flames spewed forth. Aidan now understood why only one side of the pillars was blackened. The pillars blocked the flames from reaching all the way across the room to the opposite wall, making for a harrowing path.
Startled, the man backpedaled, trying to retreat through the way he’d come, but the doors were closed tight. Fortunately, he hadn’t gone beyond the first pillar before the flames had erupted. His spot near the entrance was safe from the fire’s hungry path, though he had to be feeling the incredible heat—already he dripped with sweat.
For a second, the vents snapped closed, extinguishing the flames. The man whirled around and plastered his body against the doors, as though fearing what would come next. After a moment, the vents reopened, and the flames streamed out once more. On the opposite side of the room, another set of double doors creaked open…his only escape.
“Ah!” Lear cried. “I get it. He’ll have to use the columns as cover to get out.” He crossed his arms, pleased with his deduction.
Lear was right. The man would have to zigzag across the room during the very slight moment the vents were closed, ducking behind the pillars before they reopened. He’d have to be quick. A single wrong step and he would be scorched.
Glancing up, the man lifted what looked like a white handkerchief over his head, signaling his forfeit. Immediately the flames were doused. The air shimmied where a ceiling would have been, and Aidan realized the whole maze was closed in by a force field that had had just been disengaged. Moments later, a hover platform descended to retrieve the man.
“Och,” Lear griped. “What a tosser. A bit of flame does no’ scare me.”
“Well, youarea dragon,” Priya pointed out. “Doesn’t that make you immune?”
Aidan shook his head. “We can withstand higher temperatures than most, but we can be burned all the same, no matter what form we take.”
When another contestant forfeited after nearly being impaled on razor-sharp spikes that randomly jutted from the floor of another chamber, Lear made no more boasts.
“This doesn’t seem so bad,” Vin observed tentatively. “We can study the course and take note of which way to go and which rooms to avoid. See, there are several routes to take.” Just as he finished his assessment, loud grinding noises silenced everyone in the arena. As though it were a living beast, the labyrinth began to shift. Chambers switched places and corridors closed up, becoming dead ends; while new ones opened, creating entirely new pathways.
“Shit,” Vin muttered, throwing his hands up. “Screw that. No way am I doing that.”
Aidan agreed. He wasn’t willing to encourage any of his crew to compete in such a dangerous event, even after learning of the reward. Six vouchers per person. Anyone who conquered The Gauntlet would gain an immediate, and in all likelihood, a winning advantage, but the odds were against victory. “You’d have to be insane to attempt it.”
“Looks like we’re in for a long stay,” Aidan muttered. “Drinks?”
“Drinks,” everyone repeated.
